Scotland Recap: Celtic suffer last-minute loss at Kilmarnock

Defending champions Celtic suffered their second defeat as a stoppage-time goal handed Kilmarnock a 2-1 win at Rugby Park.

Defending champions Celtic suffered their second defeat as a stoppage-time goal handed Kilmarnock a 2-1 win at Rugby Park. (Twitter/Celtic Football Club)

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Rangers' rise under Steven Gerrard continued with a 5-1 thrashing of St Johnstone to move into second in the Scottish Premiership, while Celtic slipped to sixth after a 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock on Sunday.

A second defeat in the Scottish champions' first six league games, after also failing to qualify for the Champions League, leaves Celtic six points behind early leaders Hearts.

"When you are a huge club, the demand is to win," said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers

"In the last couple of years we've done that really well and playing in a style that is synonymous with the club. It hasn't been the same but we have to work to make it better."

Rodgers made six changes from the side that laboured to a 1-0 Europa League win over Rosenborg in midweek.

Leigh Griffiths was recalled to the starting line-up after coming off the bench to grab the winner against the Norwegian champions and his diving header put the visitors in front 11 minutes before half-time.

Celtic posted a record turnover of £100 million ($130 million) this week, but their failure to strengthen in the transfer window despite selling star striker Moussa Dembele to Lyon is already being exposed in their bid for an eighth straight Scottish title.

They have now scored just six times in their opening six games and rarely looked like adding to their lead before Chris Burke fired in off the post from 20 yards to bring Kilmarnock level.

Celtic continued to dominate possession without seriously threatening, and were caught again by a sucker punch in the 93rd minute when Findlay stooped to head Burke's corner into the far corner, sparking wild scenes of celebration from Killie boss Steve Clarke.

In four meetings with Rodgers since Clarke took charge just under a year ago, Kilmarnock have now beaten and drawn with Celtic twice.

Rangers took full advantage to close to within five points of Hearts as they showed no hangover from an impressive 2-2 draw at Villarreal in the Europa League on Thursday.

Captain James Tavernier curled home a free-kick to open the scoring before Alfredo Morelos doubled the hosts' advantage at Ibrox.

Scott Arfield, Kyle Lafferty and Daniel Candeias were also on target after the break, while Blair Alston scored a consolation for the Saints from the penalty spot.

Dutch portal Football World Rankings released its latest ranking of the top managers in the world of soccer based on their results over the past 52 weeks, a list in which Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino fail to crack the top ten.

(Juan Pimiento)

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Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina slammed third-tier Pro Piacenza's 20-0 defeat by Cuneo on Sunday as an "insult to sport" after the losing side fielded just seven players.

Financially troubled Pro Piacenza have been unable to pay their players and staff, who have been on strike for several weeks.

Before Sunday's game at Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy, bottom club Pro Piacenza had already forfeited three matches and a fourth would have seen them kicked out of Serie C.

So they took to the pitch with seven players, all teenagers born between 2000 and 2002. An eighth player could not initially start having forgotten his identity papers and came on after an hour.

One of the two players born in 2000 was named on the match sheet as the coach.

With information from AFP.

Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina slammed third-tier Pro Piacenza's 20-0 defeat by Cuneo on Sunday as an "insult to sport" after the losing side fielded just seven players.

Financially troubled Pro Piacenza have been unable to pay their players and staff, who have been on strike for several weeks.

Before Sunday's game at Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy, bottom club Pro Piacenza had already forfeited three matches and a fourth would have seen them kicked out of Serie C.

So they took to the pitch with seven players, all teenagers born between 2000 and 2002. An eighth player could not initially start having forgotten his identity papers and came on after an hour.

One of the two players born in 2000 was named on the match sheet as the coach.

With information from AFP.

CAPTION

Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina slammed third-tier Pro Piacenza's 20-0 defeat by Cuneo on Sunday as an "insult to sport" after the losing side fielded just seven players.

Financially troubled Pro Piacenza have been unable to pay their players and staff, who have been on strike for several weeks.

Before Sunday's game at Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy, bottom club Pro Piacenza had already forfeited three matches and a fourth would have seen them kicked out of Serie C.

So they took to the pitch with seven players, all teenagers born between 2000 and 2002. An eighth player could not initially start having forgotten his identity papers and came on after an hour.

One of the two players born in 2000 was named on the match sheet as the coach.

With information from AFP.

Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina slammed third-tier Pro Piacenza's 20-0 defeat by Cuneo on Sunday as an "insult to sport" after the losing side fielded just seven players.

Financially troubled Pro Piacenza have been unable to pay their players and staff, who have been on strike for several weeks.

Before Sunday's game at Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy, bottom club Pro Piacenza had already forfeited three matches and a fourth would have seen them kicked out of Serie C.

So they took to the pitch with seven players, all teenagers born between 2000 and 2002. An eighth player could not initially start having forgotten his identity papers and came on after an hour.

One of the two players born in 2000 was named on the match sheet as the coach.

With information from AFP.

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Bayern Munich got off to an inauspicious start in their Bundesliga match against Bavarian rivals Augsburg as midfielder Leon Goretzka scored in his own goal 13 seconds into the match.

Bayern Munich got off to an inauspicious start in their Bundesliga match against Bavarian rivals Augsburg as midfielder Leon Goretzka scored in his own goal 13 seconds into the match.

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was comically caught off guard when informed about Benjamin Mendy's Instagram post announcing his location as Hong Kong.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was comically caught off guard when informed about Benjamin Mendy's Instagram post announcing his location as Hong Kong.

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A week removed from Nantes's emotional display, Cardiff followed suit with an emotional tribute to Emiliano Sala, who signed with the Welsh club before his disappearance, ahead of their first home game since the Argentine was reported missing.

A week removed from Nantes's emotional display, Cardiff followed suit with an emotional tribute to Emiliano Sala, who signed with the Welsh club before his disappearance, ahead of their first home game since the Argentine was reported missing.

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Nantes paid an emotional tribute to Emiliano Sala at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Wednesday before their first match since their former striker's plane disappeared over the Channel last week.

The 28-year-old had been traveling from Nantes to his new club Cardiff City when the plane went missing, with pilot David Ibbotson the only other person on board.

British investigators said earlier on Wednesday it was "likely" that two seat cushions that have washed up on the French shore were from the missing aircraft.

Nantes unveiled a large photo of Sala in the centre-circle before kick-off in the Ligue 1 game against Saint-Etienne, while the Argentine's former teammates donned T-shirts with "we love you Emi" written on the back.

All the Nantes players played in shirts featuring Sala's name instead of their own.

Former Nantes forward Yacine Bammou, who became a close friend of Sala's before leaving for Caen, was in tears in the stands, while coach Vahid Halilhodzic also struggled to contain his emotions.

Sala scored 42 league goals in 120 appearances for Nantes before signing for Cardiff in a 17-million-euro ($19.3-million) move.

He had visited his former teammates in Nantes on January 21 to say goodbye before flying towards Cardiff on the Piper PA-46 Malibu plane.

The official search was suspended last Thursday, but Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it would start an underwater search this weekend, working alongside a privately-funded search.

Hundreds of Nantes fans had held a vigil in the French city last week shortly after the first searches had failed to find the player.

"I did not have much hope. Now we must try to mourn and then move forward," said 69-year-old Nantes supporter Andree Guittet.

With information from AFP.

Nantes paid an emotional tribute to Emiliano Sala at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Wednesday before their first match since their former striker's plane disappeared over the Channel last week.

The 28-year-old had been traveling from Nantes to his new club Cardiff City when the plane went missing, with pilot David Ibbotson the only other person on board.

British investigators said earlier on Wednesday it was "likely" that two seat cushions that have washed up on the French shore were from the missing aircraft.

Nantes unveiled a large photo of Sala in the centre-circle before kick-off in the Ligue 1 game against Saint-Etienne, while the Argentine's former teammates donned T-shirts with "we love you Emi" written on the back.

All the Nantes players played in shirts featuring Sala's name instead of their own.

Former Nantes forward Yacine Bammou, who became a close friend of Sala's before leaving for Caen, was in tears in the stands, while coach Vahid Halilhodzic also struggled to contain his emotions.

Sala scored 42 league goals in 120 appearances for Nantes before signing for Cardiff in a 17-million-euro ($19.3-million) move.

He had visited his former teammates in Nantes on January 21 to say goodbye before flying towards Cardiff on the Piper PA-46 Malibu plane.

The official search was suspended last Thursday, but Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it would start an underwater search this weekend, working alongside a privately-funded search.

Hundreds of Nantes fans had held a vigil in the French city last week shortly after the first searches had failed to find the player.

"I did not have much hope. Now we must try to mourn and then move forward," said 69-year-old Nantes supporter Andree Guittet.